Waterproof composition for explosives.



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'FlN SPA tRE, OF WILD INGTON, DELA VARE, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. I. DU PONTDE N EMOURS POWDER- COMPANY, OF WILMIN GT ON DELAVVAR-E, A COR- POBATIONOF NEW JERSEY.

WATERF'RQQF COEV'IPOSITION FOR EXPLCSlVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed October 24,1905. flcrial No 284,152.

To all whom it puny concern:

Be it known that I, FIN Srssnn, a subject of the King of Norway,residing at 'Wilmington, county of Nowcastlgnnd bftate of Delo- Wore,have invented it new and useful ln1- 'proveinent in ll oterproofCompositions for Explosives; oil which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

My invention relates to nitrete-of-mnmonia. eXpL0sivos--thut thoseexplosives in Which the chief oxygen-carrier is nitrate of a1nmonioondhas for its object to render the some nonhygroscopic.

The invention consists in u WttEQIpTOUf composition consisting of liquidnitro com pound (in which preferably has been dis solved a solid nitrocon'ipound) inv which is dissolved guncotton or other nitrotedccllulose, this composition when. mixed with the nitrate of unnnouio costing;the particles of the Letter and rendering it impervious to moisture.

The invention also consists in the process of making such waterproof composition. The invention is ztlsouppli lo to other ox plosives ordinarilyposse our i1 rosci properties; but the invention 'iinds its chief fieldof usefulness in connection with nitrateof-aninionie explosives.

It has been proposed to inm'iul'ucturo nonhygroscopicIlitTztt-0f-ttl'llfllfil'ilit powder by dissolving a, solid body, suchas rosin, in .11, volutile solvent, such as alcohol, thou mixing thesolution with the ingredients oi the poivdcr i and then evaporating thesolvent. It has also been proposed to add to the g'iowder Waterproofingliquids, such as kerosene or nitroglycerin. It has also been proposed tomix nit-rate of ammonia or nitmi.wol eiumonis powder with solid nitrocom pounds, such as dinitrobenzol or niononitro ouplu alone, and heatingthe mixture to at temperature at which the compounds will niel l :Ultl.their perrnitting the powder to cool, thcrehy {)IOtlllt in supposedly apowder whose particles Were provided with a watcrprmit costing. Theseattempts, however, have not been successful. There has either been noreduction of the hygroscopicity or it has been too slight to be ofpractical value.

Additions of small amounts of the liquids mentioned produce noappreciable beneficial results. Addition of larger amounts of theseliquids not only fails to reduce the hygroscopicity to any practicalextent; but it is imprztcticaole to add large amounts, they eX- uderapidly and spoil the explosive. Moreover, such liquids are easilywashed out. by Water, and thus are of no practical use so for Waterproofqualities are concerned. So for as nitroglycerin is concerned itsaddition in large enough quantities to be appreciably ellicient toreduce hygroscopicity robs the powder of the very qualities that commendit to use-thetis, the powder is no longer tunicless, it freezes at arelatively high temperature, and it less solo.

The failure of melted solid nitro compounds to act elliciently isdoubtless due to the fact that these compounds crystallize, andtherefore coat the particles of powder im perfectly and unevenly and arebrittle and porous at lower tempera-turns.

lit is essential in order to obtain non-hygroscopicity and Waterproofingthat the nitrate of ammonia or nitrztte-ol-animoniu, powder should becoated with or ulisorh :1. material that is amorphous, viscous,insoluble in wutcr, and. waterproof and also combustible, non-freezing,stable, safe, and practically noruvolatile at high or low temperature.This material I obtain, as before stated, by dissolving runcotton in aliquid nitro compound in which preferably has previously been dissolved21 solid nitro compound. As examples of liquid nitro compounds that iney he used may be specified mononitrohcnzol and niononitrotoluol. Asexamples-of solid nitro compounds that may he used may he specifieddinitroheuzol, dinitrotoluol, and trinitrotoluol. The gunc-oltou usedmay he nitrocellulose of high or low nitration.

Of the two liquid niti'o compounds named niononitrotoluol is prcicrrcd.on account of hciug less volatile, having: a less strong smell, andcapable of dissolving nitrocellulose a. little hotter thanniononitrohcnzol.

I have found that nitrocellulose is more easily dissolved by liquidmonouitro compounds il a nornui-lly solid higher nit-r0 compound-saytrinitrotoluol-is present in the solution and the solution loss thick,so'that more nitrocellulose can be dissolved. An-

other reason "for the employment 01' a higher v more oxygen than if amononitro compound only is present. W

My preferred Water roof composition is as follows: Mononitrotol iiol,eighty per cent; trinitrotoluol, ten per cent; guncotton, ten

v per cent. The liquid nitro compound may,

however, vary from sixty per cent. to ninetyfive per cent. The solidnitro compound should not exceed twenty-five per cent, as a largerproportion produces crystallization] It may be omitted altogether, butwith less completely satisfactory results for the reasons above stated.The guncotton may vary from one per cent. to fifteen per cent. Itsaddition is essential, as otherwise the solution would be too thin. Theguncotton is gelatinized and therefore perfectly safe.

The solution may be prepared cold or warm, application of heat not beingnecessary.

To apply the composition, the previouslyprepared powder is mixedtherewith in an ordinary mixing apparatus with or without application ofheat. are preferable: nitrate-of-ammonia powder, eighty-five per cent.Waterproof composition, fifteenper cent. e,

The proportion of the composition may vary from five per cent. to thirtyper cent.

In addition to the composition a uantity of nitrate of ammonia may beadde to the previduslyprepared powderfor example, nitrate-of-ammoniapowder, seventy-five per cent; nitrate of ammonia, five per cent; wa-

' terproof composition, twenty per cent.

cent.

Instead of adding the composition toa nitrateofammonia powder it may beadded to nitrate of ammonia alone, thus producing a nitrate-of-amnioniapowder of non-hygroscopic propertiesfor example, nitrate of ammonia,eighty-two per cent. waterproof composition, eighteen per cent.

Another example of-such powder is as follows: nitrate of ammonia,seventy-five per Waterproof composition, twenty per The followingproportions ing composition: nitrate-of-ammonia pow-1- der, seventy percent; nitrate of 'ammoma,

seyenv and one-half per cent; composition, fifteen percent. I thenitrate of ammonia may first be mixed with the powder and thenitroglycerin dis Waterproof mixtures incorporated, or all four may beincorporated together.. r l.

The following is an example of a waterproof composition containingnitroglycerin" mononitro enzol, sixty-two per cent; trinipercent;nitrocellulose eight per cent.

powder.

sensitizing ingredientsL. I

Havin now fully described my invention, what I c aim, and desire tersPatent, is a A composition for Waterproofing explosives containing ofnitrocellulose one to fifteen per cent, of a normally solid niitrocomound less than twenty-five per centfian d of a liquid FIN SPARRE.

Witnesses M. MKHAMILTON, THORNLEY B. Woon.

xplosive may also be made of the fo low I seven and one-half per cent;nitroglycerin,

solved in the composition and then these two trotoluol, ten per cent;nitroglycerin, twenty Both the nitroglycerin and the nitrocellu lose ifnot gelatinized or in solution act as to protect by Let-- nitrocomplound sixty to ninety-five per cent.

In this case An explosive mayalso be made by adding nitrocellulose aswell as the composition to.' nitrate of ammonia or a hitrate-of-ammoniaV

